ANNOUNCEMENT
Hakkasan Group Inspires first partnered with Pencils of Promise in 2018 and has since donated more than $150,000 towards building schools and transforming education in Korve, Ghana, Kon Ngiew, Laos and most recently Aldea Tonquin in Guatemala. The first school was inaugurated March 2019 in Korve, Ghana.
Pencils of Promise began the first phase of longitudinal studies in Ghana to track student and teacher stories over time. They interviewed Abby, a student, and Desire, a teacher along with others to see how the contribution from Hakkasan Group Inspires has shaped their lives.
Interview with Desire, Teacher
PoP Learning & Evaluation Team: Can you describe something you witnessed in your class that you can attribute to the new school?
Desire: In our previous school, the classroom was not spacious enough to display teaching and learning materials. Sometimes the heat in the room became so unbearable that we had to move outside the classroom to study under a tree. But now, we have a new classroom with a fan, so we do not learn under a tree anymore.
PoP Learning & Evaluation Team: What changes have you noticed in students’ behaviors and/or attitudes since you have moved to the new classroom?
Desire: When we were studying under the tree previously, the students did not like coming to school, but with the newly built classroom by PoP, every child of school-going age is coming to school now. Even some are taking a transfer from other schools to have a feel of the new school infrastructure. This has really increased student enrollment.
PoP Learning & Evaluation Team: How has the new classroom impacted your role as a teacher?
Desire: Because the previous classroom was not spacious enough to contain cardboard and other books we usually kept supplies in the head teacher’s office which was quite far from our classroom. During every lesson, I had to bring all the needed materials to the classroom and this delays teaching and instructional time. But with the new classroom, everything is within, I do not have to walk to the office every now and then to bring books and other teaching and learning materials to the class. So I have been able to maximise the learning time tremendously. We also have a place now to display teaching and learning materials in the classroom. This makes demonstrations easier and effective. We are very comfortable.
Abby, Primary 3 Student
PoP Learning & Evaluation Team: What do you like about your teacher and class?
Abby: I like Madam Desire because she’s hard-working and always makes it easy for us to understand lessons.
PoP Learning & Evaluation Team: What is your favorite part of going to school?
Abby: Learning and playing games like “Ampe” with my friends
PoP Learning & Evaluation Team: What do you hope to learn at school this year?
Abby: I want to learn to speak good English.
PoP Learning & Evaluation Team: What do you hope to do in the future?
Abby: I want to proceed with school to nursing training college and become a nurse.
Annabel
2019 – Pencils Of Promise – Ghana
Annabel walks twenty minutes to school every day with her brothers and sisters. She let us know that she is excited about the new PoP school because “it’s the most beautiful building she’s ever seen.”
Wisdom
2019 – Pencils Of Promise – Ghana
Wisdom is seven years old and lives in the community of Tortibo. He shared that he likes going to school to study math. He especially likes learning addition. His mother sewed his outfit, which he wore to the inauguration ceremony for the new school.
Mary & Martha
2019 – Pencils Of Promise – Ghana
Mary and Martha are five years old. When we asked their mother Margaret what she hopes for her daughters’ futures, she said “I want them to be able to make choices for themselves.” She did not have the opportunity to attend school as a kid and is excited that her girls will have access to education.
Learn more about Hakkasan Group Inspire’s impact in partnership with Pencils of Promise.
Photo Credits: Nick Onken
Hakkasan Group & Zedd Partner with Pencils of Promise